The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
It is known in the art that wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes. These grapes are generally Vitis vinifera, or a hybrid with Vitis labrusca or Vitis rupestris. Grapes are fermented without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, water, or other nutrients. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine.
Currently, wine consumption is a market with expected continued expansion over the next decade as wine becomes more popular with consumers. One reason for growth in the wine market is that consumers simply have more access to wine. In particular, the availability to purchase products via the Internet has increased consumer access to wine, including access to many wines not available at a consumer's local brick and mortar store. Also, the variety and quality of wine has increased with a corresponding increase in price.
This has created a situation where there are myriad types of wines, exceeding the numbers of other alcoholic beverages. For example, a consumer at an alcoholic beverage establishment who wishes to order beer or a distilled beverage thus does not have an overwhelming task. A typical beer list or spirit list in a restaurant consists of a relatively small number of well-known brands whose tastes are fairly predictable and stable. In contrast, a typical wine list has a great many entries. Variations in taste, and in price, are large. And to make matters worse, both taste and price vary from year to year in an unpredictable way. For many restaurant patrons, choosing from a wine menu is something of a gamble.
Other proposals have involved transacting wine. The problem with these wine transaction methods that they do not allow the wine merchant to easily list wine offerings, or the consumer to easily access the listed wine offerings. Also, the promotions and events are not always known by the public. Also, this method offers a significant improvement transacting portions of beverages in quantities too large for the desired buyers. In turn, merchants assume lower risk when portioning said beverages via pre-purchased reservations ensuring adequate revenue exists, thereby reducing the potential for loss and ensuring desired profit margins for a merchant are maintained. Even though the above cited wine transaction methods meet some of the needs of the market, a system and method that enhances transactions of alcoholic beverages, such as wine, by providing a merchant platform for a merchant to present alcoholic beverages and associated offerings, and a consumer platform for a consumer to view the listings of alcoholic beverages and secure a transaction thereof is still desired.